Philosophical Ramble

Created December 2009
Philosophical Top 10 List of Topics for the 21st Century
Top Ten Philosophical Topics for the 21st Century
Philosophical Films, James Fieser’s website University of Tennessee at Martin
Conversation with Stanley Cavell
Does Philosophy Still Matter?- panel discussion
A distinguished panel addresses this question on the occasion of the publication of Professor
James Miller ‘s new book, Examined Lives: From Socrates to Nietzsche. Panelists include Simon Critchley, professor of philosophy at The New School for Social Research and author of The Book of Dead Philosophers; Anthony Gottlieb, author of The Dream of Reason, a…
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Does Philosophy Still Matter?- panel discussion
A distinguished panel addresses this question on the occasion of the publication of Professor James Miller ‘s new book, Examined Lives: From Socrates to Nietzsche. Panelists include Simon Critchley, professor of philosophy at The New School for Social Research and author of The Book of Dead Philosophers; Anthony Gottlieb, author of The Dream of Reason, a three-volume history of philosophy; James Miller, professor of political science and chair of the Committee on Liberal Studies at The New School for Social Research; Astra Taylor, independent filmmaker and director of Zizek! and Examined Life: Philosophy Is in the Streets; and Cornel West, author of Race Matters and Class of 1943 Professor at Princeton University. The panel is moderated by Lewis H. Lapham, editor of Lapham’s Quarterly.

A Comparison between the Theories of Marshall McLuhan and two films by
David Cronenberg
“The function of media in society is a subject that has been investigated by media theorist Marshall McLuhan and, in another register, filmmaker David Cronenberg. The theories that Marshall McLuhan proposes in Understanding Media are highly relevant to Cronenberg’s films, as is Cronenberg’s portrayal of mediated societies to McLuhan’s theories. McLuhan and Cronenberg both focus on the relationship between electronic media and the human condition, and the possible affects of this relationship in the social sphere. In this essay I will be discussing the implications of McLuhan’s theoretical understanding of media, as proposed in Understanding Media, comparing these theories to the representation of the mediated society in two films by David Cronenberg. The films I will be discussing are the 1982 release Videodrome and the 1999 release eXistenZ. Both films deal explicitly with media presence in the modern world.” (Rowan Laing)

Metaphysics is usually associated with that part of the philosophical tradition which asks about ‘last things’, questions such as: How many substances are there in the world? Which is more fundamental, quantity or quality? Are events prior to things, or do they happen to those things? While he wasn’t a philosopher, Shakespeare was obviously interested in ‘ultimates’ of this sort. Instead of probing these issues with argument, however, he did so with plays. Shakespearean Metaphysics argues for Shakespeare’s inclusion within a metaphysical tradition that opposes empiricism and Cartesian dualism. Through close readings of three major plays – The Tempest, King Lear and Twelfth Night – Witmore proposes that Shakespeare’s manner of depicting life on stage itself constitutes an ‘answer’ to metaphysical questions raised by later thinkers as Spinoza, Bergson, and Whitehead. Each of these readings shifts the interpretative frame around the plays in radical ways; taken together they show the limits of our understanding of theatrical play as an ‘illusion’ generated by the physical circumstances of production.

Footnote to Plato-Brain in a Vat Adelaide U. Student Radio May 3, 2011
This week on the show Alistair and Bryan tackled the problem presented in the blockbuster movie, The Matrix. How do we know for sure that the world we perceive around us is anything the real world? That is, if all we know of the world comes in through our senses and all we perceive is a product of electrical activity in the brain, how can we be sure that we are not being fed all this information by a supercomputer? The short answer is…..we can’t!

Even though The Matrix gained huge popularity bringing this question to the masses it turns out the ideas presented in the film are not new. The team managed to trace the idea back to philosopher Hilary Putnam and his thought experiment Brains in Vat. Putnam proposes the scenario that we are just brains in big jars being fed the real world by a supercomputer programmed by an evil scientist. But ideas of this nature stem even further back than the invention of the computer. Back in the 1600s Rene Descartes tackled the same problem. The only difference was that Descartes was concerned that an evil demon was trying to trick him by feeding him false beliefs. Just as Alistair and Bryan were almost convinced that they were in fact brains in vats, Aaron appeared at the door of the studio to throw in his 2 cents.

Philosophy Talk show:Dionysus Award 2012
To win a Dionysus Award, a movie has to be interesting from a philosophical point of view. It could present a morally complex vision of human life, like The Reader, a winner from a few years ago. It may force us to think about our own prejudices and stereotypes, like District Nine, another previous winner. It may take us to the boundaries of reality, like Inception. Or challenge the line between appearance and reality, like Black Swan.
Philosophy Talk show:Dionysus Award 2011
Philosophy Talk show:Dinoysus Award 2010Nominations for Dionysus Award 2009